Luxury Travel Advisor - November 2007 - (Page 9) TALLINN’S MEDIEVAL OLD TOWN is best viewed from the Kohtuotsa and Patkulli platforms (this photo). Photo by Lindsay Lambert SAVOY BOUTIQUE HOTEL suites feature sitting areas with writing desks (below). Photo by Lindsay Lambert off to the Savoy Boutique Hotel (www.savoyhotel.ee) in Tallinn’s Old Town. The hotel occupies a historical building that has served as a bank, the Ministry of Culture and a prosecutor’s office. We found the 43-room hotel’s Art Deco style and soothing color palette romantic—guest rooms are awash in creamy beige and white, with refreshing touches like brushed-gold vases filled with tiny pink roses. The view of Müürivahe Street from our suite, number 308, was delightful, but nothing could top the pristine, oversized deep-soaking tub in our spacious bathroom, which was stocked with our favorite fresh-smelling Bulgari products. Note: Insiders at Travcoa, which partners with particular hotels in each of its tour destinations, tell us that clients traveling to the Baltics on future itineraries will stay at Hotel Telegraaf (www. telegraafhotel.com), a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, when in Estonia. Dining tip: Advise clients who opt to travel on an Escorted Journey to enroll, as we did, in Travcoa’s popular Dine Around program, through which they can forgo group dinners in favor of meals at the restaurants of their choice—there’s no limit in terms of cost—with subsequent reimbursement by the company. After a day spent strolling among Tallinn’s medieval and modern landmarks, we settled down to a decadent dinner of lobster ravioli—served soupstyle, in a clear broth and with a smattering of crunchy scallions—and velvety crème brûlée at Egoist (www.egoist. ee), an intimate restaurant with sturdy wood furnishings, velvet upholstery and brass candelabras. Suggest Bocca (www.bocca.ee) to clients who fancy high-end Italian fare in a sleek setting (reservations are required, but we say the scene inside is worth peeking in on), or Olde Hansa (www. oldehansa.com) for a medievalstyle meal. Tips for touring Tallinn: We were moved upon observing a service inside St. Nicholas’ Orthodox Church, and found the bird’s-eye views of the city’s medieval Old Town (it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site), its spires and the Gulf of Finland breathtaking from the Kohtuotsa and Patkulli viewing platforms. Our travel director, Harry Davis, made sure we didn’t leave Tallinn without taking a trip to the city’s famous Kalev Marzipan Room (www.kalev.ee) for a sampling of its sweet and sticky treats, and even placed in our hotel room an adorably wrapped bag of freshly roasted sugar almonds from street vendors in Town Hall Square. From Tallinn, a scenic drive south en route to Latvia took us to the charming Estonian resort town of Parnu, where we observed sun-seeking Europeans in respite on the beach and strolled November 2007 | LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR 9 http://www.kalev.ee http://www.savoyhotel.ee http://www.egoist.ee http://www.egoist.ee http://www.bocca.ee http://www.telegraafhotel.com http://www.telegraafhotel.com http://www.oldehansa.com http://www.oldehansa.com
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